It’s December and Christmas tree lots are springing up all over town. For many of us, gathering everyone to go and choose a Christmas tree is a family tradition. It’s also one of those “good for America” traditions.
For starters, Christmas trees are grown in all 50 U.S. states (yes, even in Hawaii) and harvested from Christmas tree farms. Some people like cedar or cypress trees. Some prefer firs, spruces or pines. No matter what the shape, type of needles or even the height of the tree, one thing stays: We’re choosing trees grown and sold by American farmers to American families.
The fresh scent from these tree lots reminds me of our own Flags of Valor workshop. That’s because the lumber we use to make our wooden American flags is milled from Eastern white pines—the largest conifers in the East, reaching 150 feet tall and up to 40 inches in diameter.
Before the Boston Tea Party: the White Pine Clamp-Down. FOV uses Eastern white pine because it’s light and easy to work with. It’s also exceptionally strong, straight and resistant to warping. In fact, Eastern white pine’s strength and durability played a role in paving the way to the American revolution when English King William and Queen Mary angered colonists by curtailing their increasing success exporting white pine.
The revolutionary spirit is a fundamental part of our American heritage. So is taking pride in craftsmanship and sustaining our country’s natural resources. That’s why every one of our American-made flags is handcrafted out of homegrown Eastern white pine.
So, as I think about going to pick out a Christmas tree, I think about this: Made (or grown!) in America matters … because America, our families and all we stand for matters.
